A Sensei's True Legacy
by Rockrgrl4
Summary: Shikamaru Nara is a longtime friend of Hinata Hyuuga. What happens when, as they get older, those feelings progressively change? What is a confused, desperate, and overall torn Nara heir to do? Lemons in later chapters. Birthday fic for a loyal reader. :
1. What are these feelings?

Yo.

So this is a requested fic for Britney for her birthday/Thanksgiving. So I brainstormed with my ever so amazing beta Mariposa-Sanctum and we kinda collaborated on this. They are a little bit OOC, but I think you won't mind. Either way, I hope you end up liking it, girly! This one's for you!

-K.

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><p>"Where in the hell is he?" The Hinata Hyuuga wondered aloud, as she roamed the restaurant district of Konoha. She was meeting up with her good friend Shikamaru Nara, who had agreed to meet her at the same BBQ restaurant he and Chouji often frequented. She was currently inside the restaurant, trying to crane her neck in order to see into the booths to locate her supposed company.<p>

"Looking for someone?" A semi-bored, semi-amused voice came from behind the Hyuuga girl.

Not even all that startled, Hinata merely sighed in exasperation and replied, "You couldn't have just told me you were there, Shikamaru?"

The young boy only smirked as an answer, and Hinata knew better than to continue to pester him for an answer. He would only be difficult about it anyway.

Swallowing her objections and annoyance, the Hyuuga girl maintained as much dignity as she had and decidedly took a seat across from the wise-ass she knew as Shikamaru Nara.

"Whatever Shikamaru," the girl quietly sighed, "What did you want to meet for?"

"Eh, no special reason," the Nara boy closed his eyes, leaning back in to his seat, "Why do girls always think a guy has ulterior motives? Troublesome."

The quiet girl's eyes narrowed in displeasure, a display that would undoubtedly be decided as out of character to anyone else, but with Shika-kun she felt more at ease; she felt less like an heir and more like a friend to someone. Doing her best to keep her true emotions out of her voice, Hinata replied, "Why is it that boys always have to find something wrong with girls whenever they say something? I was only asking a question." She picked up her menu and opened it up, burying her nose within the folds of the paper before giggling and adding, "Troublesome."

"Hn." Shikamaru peeked an eye at her from under his slumped form, a smirk playing over his face. "Touché, I suppose. Although I still think you had an ulterior motive in asking that question. You're much more intelligent and devious than people give you credit for."

With that Hinata gave Shika an amused expression and threw his menu at him. "You baka...would you look at the menu so we can order? The waitress will be here in a minute and I would hate to have to impose on her and ask for more time."

Shikamaru just snorted and straightened up from his slouch, reaching for a menu, "Yep, same old Hina-chan," he laughed, "Not wanting to 'impose' on anyone, but having no problem leaning over and slugging me in the arm!"

Hinata looked horrified, "That was when we were six!" She very nearly screeched. "I didn't impose on you…I just clarified that I was right and you were wrong! Besides, our fathers were _right there_ inside the window and we were hiding in the flowerbed listening in on them! Then of all things, you had to pick up an _earthworm _and threaten to _eat _it…!"

Shikamaru just laughed and after taking a few moments to regain his normal composure (his laughter had caused him to double over just a tad), he said, "Oh man, I'd forgotten about that. Your face turned the strangest shade of green…In any case, I don't need to look at the menu, Hina-chan," he nodded to the paper in his hands and cast it aside, "I've been here enough with Chouji to know the entire thing front and back."

"Oh really?" Hinata raised her eyebrows, "Then…..GO!" Giggling, she grabbed both his menu and her own and set them on the bench beside her, out of his view. She propped one open so she could study its contents and said, "Consider this a challenge, oh all-knowing Nara," She giggled, "If you can really recite the thing front and back, I'll buy your dinner for you!"

"Che." Shikamaru skeptically replied, "It's a good thing the waitress is here or you would have been out some money!"

Hinata frowned and looked over, and sure enough the waitress was at the end of their table, chuckling. After seeing Hinata's disappointed expression, she smiled and said, "He's not kidding, my dear. His sensei told him the same thing a week ago and sure enough he did it…twice."

Surprised, Hinata shot Shikamaru a startled look and he only raised his eyebrows at her, determined to keep his secrets deeply within himself. He couldn't let a girl know all of his tricks, could he?

Hinata recovered and shook her head, turning to the waitress and saying, "I'll take water, please. Regrettably, we got sidetracked and I'll need some more time before you take my order." The poor pale-eyed Hyuuga girl looked mortified at the fact that she had become a bother to someone. It almost made Shikamaru laugh.

The waitress smiled at the distraught girl and replied, "That's perfectly fine dear. I was coming back this way anyway…I need to give some people some more refills on their drinks." She winked at Hinata, trying to make her feel better, and the Hyuuga girl smiled just a little bit.

The waitress turned back to Shikamaru, holding her notepad, "How about you? Will you be having the usual, Nara-san?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru replied, stretching out and returning to his former slumped position in his seat in the booth, "that'll be fine."

"Aright. I'll be back in a minute to get your order, sweetie." The waitress finished, giving Hinata a quick reassuring smile before she left.

After the waitress was gone, Shikamaru turned his gaze back upon the Hyuuga girl. "Typical Hinata," Shikamaru genuinely smiled for the first time all night, "You worry about the smallest things."

Hinata only turned a shade of red, embarrassed and buried her face within her coat, clasping her hands over her ears so she didn't have to listen to him tease her anymore.

Unfortunately, she missed Shikamaru's dark eyes warm considerably, and his quiet comment, "You look so much like you did six years ago like that. You're so cute."

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><p>As the two were leaving the restaurant, hunger now sated, they waved to several older shinobi walking into the building. Among them were Kakashi, Genma, and Iruka.<p>

Remembering something, Hinata turned to Shikamaru, "Hey Shika-kun, I just remembered, Kurenei told me to tell you that Asuma-sensei won't make it to your house tonight. She needed to speak with him about something…"

Shikamaru scoffed and after a moment of silence, allowed a smirk to talk over his face. 'That sly dog,' the boy chuckled mentally, 'I'll have to mess with him later.'

Hinata, noticing Shikamaru's sudden change in demeanor, asked, "What?"

Shikamaru stopped walking and stepped off to the side so that they wouldn't disturb other people on the street. He decided to play dumb, "What do you mean, what?"

Hinata gave him an incredibly annoyed look, and when he didn't give her a response, she breathed in, nostril's flaring, and then continued on her way, feet stomping the ground in indignation.

Shikamaru grinned, he loved getting the normally quiet girl angry…he couldn't quite understand it yet, but he was beginning to have a pretty good idea what it meant. Still, he had a little ways to go in understanding exactly why he liked talking to Hinata so much.

The two had been friends since childhood. While it was true that Hiashi Hyuuga and Shikaku Nara were not extremely close, due to several missions together and a shared high intellect, the two would sometimes seek out each other's company to pass the time and talk. That was how Shikamaru and Hinata had met and managed to grow close.

Now that they were older, the heir and the heiress would often do the same thing that their fathers had done-they had both grown to recognize the similarities in their temperaments so they were able to stay close friends, despite problems with her cousin in their class in the academy and their being assigned to different teams. They were both twelve now, and genin.

Their sensei's were dating.

Shikamaru resisted the urge to smirk again, knowing Hinata would be watching his expressions. Asuma-sensei thought he was slick…and to any normal person he would be. The excuses he gave his students were well thought-out and seemingly concrete, yet they were excuses in which Shikamaru could easily disprove and find error. Still, Shikamaru couldn't bring himself to let his sensei know that he, his student, knew his secret yet. Rather, Shikamaru was waiting for the perfect moment to really let him stew in the fact that he was lying to his students. It didn't really bother the Nara boy that his sensei was dating Kurenai Yuhi, and Shikamaru even understood that his teacher had a right to privacy, but he still didn't appreciate being lied to.

All well. He'd get his payback.

Hinata knew as well, of course. She was too intelligent not to know. Hinata was intelligent in being able to read people, and pick up on things that others missed. She knew how to pay an almost excruciating attention to detail, but it was entirely worth it when one saw what the girl could come up with. She always knew intuitively how someone felt, and when she looked for clues around her she could piece together the situation within seconds. Shikamaru had a great amount of respect for her.

Well, at least he knew that much about how he felt about her. Shikamaru frowned.

"Hey Shikamaru! Hinata! What's up?" A loud shout drew Shikamaru out of his thoughts, and instantly the Nara boy grew annoyed.

"Hello Naruto," Shikamaru said, "Long time no see, huh?"

A flash of orange appeared in front of the two, and a cat-like grin stole across the blonde's face until Shikamaru's comment registered in his mind. The 'annoyance' frowned, and said, "No….Shikamaru, I just saw you yesterday, didn't I?"

While Shikamaru resisted the urge to facepalm, Hinata managed, "H-h-hello N-naruto-kun."

"Hey Hinata!" Naruto grinned, turning the full power of his full grin on her, "How are you today?"

"I-I'm-" The poor girl stuttered, before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed. Luckily, Shikamaru lunged for her and caught her before she hit the ground. Almost irrationally he yelled, "Baka! What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing! I swear!" A frantic Naruto replied, as he stuck his face entirely too close to Hinata's and yelled, "Hinata! Are you OKAY?"

"No you idiot!" Shikamaru hissed, "She's fainted!" Shikamaru closed his eyes, trying to calm his annoyance and anger towards the blonde, "Naruto, get out of here." The Nara tightly managed, "I'm taking Hinata home until she wakes up." With that Shikamaru scooped the girl into his arms like she weighed nothing, and carried her bridal style back to his house. Naruto only started at the retreating Nara's back, wondering what in the world he could have done to cause such a reaction from the two.

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><p>Alright! I give! This is going to be a multi-chapter!<br>Chill though. I don't mean a 20 chapter thing…I mean a 3-4 chapter thing, although I might be able to squeeze it into two. :P I haven't decided yet. I hope to update soon, but I've got a busy week ahead of me, so we'll see! Hopefully you all like it!

Got to go, though. Thanks for reading, faithful readers!

-K.


	2. You Can't Have It Both Ways

I'M ALIIIIIIIVEEE!

Yes, I know it's a shock! Lol! :P But I've finally updated! Hope you guys are all enjoying it, and I apologize for the wait!

-K.

**Note: There are very subtle clues in each, but in all four chapters, there is an age skip. In case you haven't already realized, in chapter one the kids were 12ish, and in chapter 2 they are around 15...i am keeping with the same timeline in Naruto as events take place, so just remember they are about those ages as you read. Thanks!**

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><p>"Clink. Clink. Clink."<p>

Pieces of a Shogi game were carefully being guided into place by a masterful hand. The worn edges of the small pieces of wood were pale, the natural stain of the wood faded due to frequent use. The cold hands wrapped around a wooden piece, and a catching of breath seemingly echoed around the otherwise silent room. The only audience the master had were the cold, unfeeling wooden squares in front of him.

The pieces currently held in the master's hand strained under an increase in pressure in the master's tightening grip. Had the wooden squares been granted the ability to feel pain, they would have been screaming in agony. Sobs wracked the master, and the Shogi pieces were released out of the broken man's grip. If they had been anything but inanimate objects, perhaps the wooden pieces could comfort the man who could almost be called a friend, but alas they could nothing to comfort their distraught master.

The reality of the world crushed down on the room and the young master was left in his own despair, his head supported in his arms as his elbow rested on the same Shogi board he and his late sensei had so often frequented before.

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><p>Shikamaru sat on the edge of his bed, gazing out his bedroom's window. It was a gorgeous view of the acreage his family had owned for centuries-the same land that the Nara deer had been allowed to roam since the beginning of the Nara family. However, Shikamaru's ability to appreciate the view was rather warped, because now everything would be different.<p>

Asuma-sensei was dead.

Though Shikamaru definitely wasn't a very open person-it often required more effort to show someone you cared about them than he would have liked-he was really attached to his sensei.

He knew there would be retribution. Vengeance wasn't the proper word for what Shikamaru was planning-Vengeance is for evil people, ignorant people. Vengeance is only for fools who cannot control their emotions. Retribution is a much nicer, neater term for it. Retribution is what is acceptable in war. Retribution is for the intelligent, the cool-headed.

Oh, that bastard would pay…

Shikamaru lay back on his bed, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. His ingenious mind was formulating scenarios left and right, applying himself for a specific purpose for perhaps the first time in his life.

A gentle knock sounded at the door, interrupting Shikamaru's thoughts. Anger swept through him, and he furiously threw himself off of his bed and made his way to his bedroom door. Damn it, he was _strategizing_; didn't his parents already know he didn't like to be interrupted at such times?

However, when he ripped open the door, his face flushed and angry and his appearance exhausted and unkempt, he blinked in surprise. Awkwardly, the Nara boy moved aside and allowed a teary-eyed Hinata Hyuuga entrance into his room.

Moving behind her and closing his door once again, he stared at his guest for a few moments before she tearfully managed, "Shika-kun, is he really…?"

"Yes." Shikamaru cut her off curtly, as if he didn't want to hear it himself.

She stared in shock for a moment before hot tears began flowing silently down her face. Sniffling, she launched herself into the Nara boy's arms and sobbed into his chest until all he could do was calm her violent shaking and lull her to sleep.

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><p>Some time later, Shikaku and his wife Yoshino peeked into their son's room to check on he and his guest, and found a rather amusing sight. Smirking, the husband and wife gently closed the door. The two hurried downstairs and into the kitchen, where Yoshino immediately burst into a fit of giggles. Shikaku allowed himself a small chuckle, before offering, "You know, we really should wake them. It's really not appropriate for them to-"<p>

"Oh, hush Shikaku. He's _our_ son, after all." Yoshino smiled brightly. "As much as I hate his laziness and smart-alec comments, I still want him to be happy." Her eyes momentarily sparkled mischievously before she added, "And of course, what better way for a mother to get revenge than to allow him to spend time with a woman he's halfway in love with already?"

Shikaku smirked and pulled his wife close. "Ah, that's my devious little minx. I'd almost forgotten how cute you are when you're plotting." He chuckled to himself before planting a kiss in his wife's hair.

Yoshino smiled into Shikaku's chest. "Still," she started, as she ran a hand down her husband's frame, "there's not much to plot. They've known each other since they were kids, and while they may not be as close as they used to be-have you seen the way he steals glances at her? Or the way she blushes at him?"

Shikaku pulled back from their embrace for a moment in order to meet his wife's gaze and curiously replied, "I thought I'd heard something about her having eyes for that Uzumaki kid?"

Yoshino shrugged, "My money's on Shikamaru." The Nara woman replied, and gave her husband a knowing look, "after all, every girl has a first love, don't they Shikaku?" She imperceptibly grinned, knowing that this would get a reaction out of him.

As expected, he gave a reaction, but only a slight one that someone close to him like Yoshino could catch. The tightening of the skin around the crow's feet of his eyes gave him away every time.

It was only at times like this when she knew that she had him Yoshino ever unleashed the full beauty of her smile upon her husband. Fortunately for her, it never failed to grab his attention.

Unfortunately for him, it was his undoing. Every. Single. Time.

He only managed a sigh before his eyes softened almost beyond his control and he bent his head down to kiss his wife tenderly. Although the kiss lasted only a few moments, it felt like forever to the two, and as he pulled away Yoshino smiled at him lovingly once more and whispered, "I knew I chose you for a reason."

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><p>In the morning, Shikamaru awoke to rays of sunlight shining in through his window. As if it were like any other morning, he groaned at the prospect of having to wake up and clamber out of his warm bed. Unhappily the Nara genius sighed, and started to roll over so he could get out of bed, but he was met with an unexpected resistance. His eyes widened and he fought the urge to scramble out of his bed in shock. There, wrapped in his arms, was the tiny figure of Hinata Hyuuga…his old playmate, who later turned into one of his best friends. Frantically, his mind searched for an explanation as to why she was here. Over the last few years they had grown apart. Ever since they had been separated into teams they had each become busier and had less time to see and talk to one another. Now, with the death of his sensei, the two had come back together once again. Last night she came to ask him about it, but when she heard the news she got emotional. When she had started crying, his only reaction was to hold her and comfort her. She was so distraught at the time…she must have fallen asleep on him, and in turn, he must have fallen asleep holding her. God, she was so beautiful…<p>

To make matters worse, while he was still sorting out his thoughts she had managed to roll over in his arms and press her face into his chest, cuddling against his warmth. He involuntarily hissed as quietly as he could, and ducked his head into the pillow above her head. She was so short her face only came up to about his breastbone, and she was cuddling her head right into his chest. His nose couldn't help but inhale the scent of jasmine and clean soap, and his grip instinctively tightened on her. All he could do was breathe her in and try to calm his mind. 'Think, Nara, think.' He repeated mentally, chanting it like a mantra, but to no avail. The only thing he could think of was the fact that the beautiful body of the girl he had had an attraction to for nearly 3 years was in his arms. Well, that…and her lavender scent was driving him insane.

That was it. He'd have to get out of that bed immediately if he stood half a chance at not molesting the poor girl. Slowly he unraveled himself from the hold he had had on her, and immediately felt the warmth leave him at the loss of contact. Still…he found himself staring at the girl lying in his bed, lavender pervading his senses, and the only thing he could think about was what he would give to be next to her once again.

Yet, somehow he knew that he wouldn't be able to do such a thing in his entire lifetime. She was too beautiful…too fragile. Too forgiving. He knew that if it were she who was in a situation such as he was, then she would not even think about leaving the village to avenge her sensei. She would be the one to quietly grieve and bid her proper goodbyes to her longtime teacher and friend. She was not angry and obsessed like he was. If anything, she was an _angel_…an angel who didn't deserve someone like the likes of Shikamaru Nara.

With that thought, he dismissed all notion of crawling back into bed with her and wrapping her tightly in his protective grip. Instead, he settled on making his way down the stairs and into the kitchen where his parents would be. Then, he would angrily demand why they didn't wake him up and stop him from doing such a ridiculous thing.

This was all his parents fault, Shikamaru angrily thought, as his stomping picked up in intensity down the stairs. The blame rested squarely on their shoulders. While he was sure it was all in good fun, a prank perhaps-they had caused the one thing to happen that Shikamaru had never wanted to happen in his entire lifetime. He had denied it for years because he knew no good could come out of the realization, but now it had happened anyway.

He now knew that he had fallen in love with Hinata Hyuuga…and had loved her ever since he was old enough to know what love meant.

And somehow Shikamaru knew, nay, _knew _that his mother had something to do with it.

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><p>Hey!<p>

So, I WILL be updating soon-and it will be chapter 15 of It Was You, Hinata when I do update. It was a review that made me realize just how long it had been since I've really started writing again. I do my best to get stuff posted ASAP, but it isn't enough. So, I've decided I'm going to drag a notebook and pen around with me everywhere I go, and when I get a spare moment, I am going to write. That way, it makes it easier when I get home to type what I have and get my brain engaged for writing. I think it's an appropriate means of motivation and it's convenient, so I'll keep it up and see if it helps. ^^ Again…I apologize for taking so long. Eheheheh… ^^;

I doubt anyone really cares, but I've decided next year when I finish my Associates degree and leave for a University, I am going to further my education by obtaining a BA in Creative Writing…I'm going to be an author! :D I've wanted to be one since a kid…and I wanted to take this chance to thank EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU who have read my fics, commented on them, PMed me, or favorited/alerted me as an author or any of my fics…YOU made this possible, and YOU helped show me that I CAN do this and be an author. Really, it means a lot to me, and in return I will start posting more often, okay? I've got to practice, after all. ;D

Love you all!

-K.


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